Novozymes said it plans to use a new $12.3 million contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to double the efficiency of the enzymes it's developing for use in making cellulosic ethanol at its U.S. headquarters plant in Franklinton.
The Danish biotechnology company will match the federal funding, dollar for dollar, to supplement its R&D project called DECREASE (development of a commercial-ready enzyme application system for ethanol). Novozymes got an $18 million DoE grant in 2001.
Novozymes' global business development manager Emmanuel Petiot said the company will launch enzymes for commercially viable ethanol production from cellulose by 2010, lowering the price even further by 2012 through production efficiencies.